The contrast between the broadness of the prime minister’s vision and the narrowness of its execution on the ground is, unfortunately, quite stark. After returning to power with a massive mandate, Narendra Modi, in an inspiring speech, ‘challenged’ members of Parliament and his government to earn the faith of India’s minorities. Mr Modi had spoken like an ideal statesman. He not only reminded his peers of their obligation to uphold constitutional principles but also addressed legitimate concerns that India’s secular edifice has been brought under strain in the last few years. But the prime minister’s message seems to have gone unheard: the rash of vigilantism has broken out, once again, in the India that he is striving to build. It has been reported that a Muslim man was assaulted — the assailants confronted him for wearing a skullcap — and made to chant a slogan in Gurgaon on the very day Mr Modi made his appeal. Earlier, gau rakshaks struck in Madhya Pradesh, tying up three Muslims to a tree and beating them after accusing the victims of transporting beef. In Jharkhand, an old, controversial post on social media had been resurrected to arrest a tribal theatre activist.

The prime minister’s emphasis on hope and accommodation is, evidently, being ignored by some segments of his supporters. This anomaly can be explained by the fact that the social fabric in India remains fragmented. One explanation for the growing chasm is the divisive political rhetoric that several members of the Bharatiya Janata Party — Mr Modi was not an exception — employed in the course of a polarizing electoral campaign. There is another reason for the resurgence of such violence — the perpetrators’ belief in their impunity from the law. Mr Modi’s assurance would remain ineffective unless the administration cracks down against this kind of organized barbarism. Punishing the offenders would honour the law of the land and reinforce faith in the prime minister’s image as a just leader.